Charting the internet pop world one blog post at a time.

This is the second last chart for me of 2017, and is also blog post 1,701!!

The five entries from two weeks ago make distinct impressions, causing some songs to stop rising or to fall. As a result too there are only two new songs on the chart.

Two weeks ago I was in a rush to get the blog post up and for the first time didn’t post song links. With this post the song links are back 🙂

The Top 10

The classic house of Latchmere’s “Need Your Heart” (above) is enough to keep it up top for a third appearance, guaranteeing it a high placing on my year end list, which will be posted before year’s end. Latchmere also bookends the Top 10, with “Monster” (featuring Dylan, below)) climbing a notch to #10.

Shoffy’s delightful, thoughtful “Flags” (featuring Yuna, above) rises 3-2 but will be in a battle for the top in two weeks. Also check out the video for his song “Motions” (below) from his self-titled album.

The powerhouse on the chart though is Miguel, from one of the finest albums of 2017, War and Leisure, with “Pineapple Skies” (above) the fastest riser tearing up the chart 27-3, even surpassing “Sky Walker” (featuring Travis Scott, below), which is still moving up 8-6. I can’t wait to hear it all in concert in March 🙂

Alyx Ander’s “Wake Up For The Night” (featuring Caroline Pennell) surpasses the #5 peak of Alyx’s “Memories Of You” from earlier this year, climbing 6-4.

The Him get their third Top 10 song on this chart with the gorgeous and emotional “Everybody Hurts”, featuring Australian singer Ivy Adara, rising 15-9, and it’s still available as a free download! Big things coming for The Him in 2018!!

Movin’ On Up

New York-based British singer YEBBA continues her rising double presence on the chart with the unique and lovely “Evergreen” up 18-13 (above), and her duet with Sam Smith from The Thrill Of It All “No Peace” also climbing 23-17 (below).

Don’t forget to check out the fun animated lyric video for “Free” by singer/actor Carlos Nóbrega featuring JVEL from the fine album The Art Of Making Love, up a notch to #15.

Dzeko’s biiiig sounding cover of Seal’s “Crazy” in its Tiësto Big Room remix gets trapped mid-chart and moves up 21-16, but watch out in two weeks…

The other trio of deep house songs to debut two weeks ago follow each other up the chart. Loud Luxury’s “Body” (featuring Brando, above) just debuted on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart and rises 28-18. Nora En Pure’s luscious and emotional “Tears In Your Eyes” (below) is up 29-19, while Ryan Shepherd’s down and dirty “Right Now” (featuring Dirty Hary, also below) is right behind climbing 30-20.

Debuts

My 1,700th blog post belonged to “Small Talk” by Giiants, a great danceable pop song to watch for in 2018, with more to come from the talented trio and the other artists they are involving in this project. “Small Talk” arrives two days after official release at #23.

L.A.’s waitwhat became a duo earlier this year, which was a real turning point for Troy Skinner’s original project. With the addition of Damon Dokhani, they complemented each other’s strengths, and after some interesting remixes they arrived at an infectious original “Alive”, featuring vocalist Rielle. “Alive” premieres at #26.

View the full BILLCS Top 30right here, and be sure to click on the photos to hear all of the songs.

Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify: BILLCS Top 30 Songs

There’s lots of movement on the new chart, plus five debuts, three of which are Canadian, which constitutes a mini-takeover 😛 The top of the chart pretty much stays put as other newer songs get closer.

The Top 10

The top of the chart is still grooving to old school Chicago-styled house as mixed with contemporary electronic pop. It’s once again “Need Your Heart”, brought to you by Australia-based UK producer Latchmere from his EP Lovedrunk. Zooming in on the Top 10 is another song from the EP “Monster”, featuring Aussie female vocalist Dylan, zipping up the chart 18-11.

Shoffy’s thoughtful-with-a-beat “Flags” (featuring) looks like it will give “Need Your Heart” the most competition at #1, as the single from his debut self-titled album climbs 5-3.

The unbridled energy and attitude of “No Hands” sends it into the Top 5 for the collaboration of producers it’s different and Forever MC, and lethal vocal combo of blackbear and MAX. It’s too bad the song has never seen official release but is still available as a free download.

Making its presence known in the Top 10 for the first time is “Wake Up To The Night” by Miami’s Alyx Ander featuring The Voice top ten contestant and songwriter Caroline Pennell, rising 11-6.

US/UK duo Culpriit also move up within the Top 10 with “Driveway” climbing 10-7.

The new cool word is “splish”. Miguel and Travis Scott claim #8 with “Sky Walker” from the upcoming War & Leisure album. Miguel also nabs one of the five debuts further down…

The Thrill Of It All is a beautiful follow up to In The Lonely Hour, a completely different kind of album where the best songs are the ones you won’t hear on the radio, aside of course from “Too Good At Goodbyes”, which moves up 13-9. You’ll find Sam’s duet with star-on-the-rise YEBBA at #23 with “No Peace”.

Movin’ On Up

We have more MAX in his pairing with SAINT WKND on “Survive” rising 19-13 in a fierce PLS&TY remix that totally gets the vibe of the song.

Dutch duo The Him look to get to the Top 10 quickly with “Everybody Hurts”, a free download for you featuring Australian singer Ivy Adara, which soars 24-15.

A second entry for producer/songwriter Frank Pierce jumps 25-17, “Do Me” featuring vocalist Miles B. You won’t be able to sit still with the buoyant rhythm of this one. Frank still sits pretty at #4 with pals Nick Peters and Scott Vega with “No Love In Brooklyn”.

The fastest riser on the chart is from the aforementioned British singer YEBBA (aka Abbey Smith) with her debut single “Evergreen” rocketing up the chart 29-18. Patiently waiting for more news about YEBBA!

The high point of Tiësto’s Club Life Vol. 5 – China album comes early on with Toronto’s own Dzeko scoring with potent cover of Seal’s 90’s hit “Crazy” in a Tiësto Big Room mix, which charges on to the chart at #21. Tiësto has appeared numerous times on this chart, the last time with his remix of “Let You Go” by The Chainsmokers and Great Good Fine OK in 2015. Dzeko has only had one prior appearance, but it was a doozy – a #1 in 2016 with buddy Luis Torres as well as Sweden’s Hellberg with “Care For Me”, my #2 song of last year.

It’s Miguel again at #27 with “Pineapple Skies”, which revels in the music of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder so much that it’s just plain joyful!

Song #2 on the chart for Toronto’s Loud Luxury premieres at #28 with new vocalist Brando in the irresistible “Body” (this time for Armada). The duo has had two #1’s this year with “Fill Me In” (with Ryan Shepherd) and “Show Me” (with Nikki’s Wives) – will “Body” be next?

It immediately got under my skin when I first heard it two weeks ago, so Swiss/South African producer/DJ Nora En Pure’s “Tears In Your Eyes” arrives on the chart at #29.

A third Torontonian bows on the chart this week, and it is indeed the previously mentioned Ryan Shepherd, whose amazing new slice of deep house “Right Now” (featuring Dirty Hary) bows at #30.

View the full BILLCS Top 30right here, and be sure to click on the photos to hear all of the songs.

Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify:BILLCS Top 30 Songs

In edition #521 of the chart, you’ll be seeing double in some cases as a couple of performers already on the chart get debuts, plus there’s a new #1 that’s been winding its way patiently up the chart 🙂

The Top 10

L.A.’s Mahalo along with his go-to singer Cat Lewis get their first collective #1 with the gritty deep house of “Perfect”. It’s a real producing feat as Mahalo manipulates Cat’s voice to sound like there are multiple vocalists, and I particularly enjoy the segue at the beginning from high register to distorted low vocal.

Lauv’s “I Like Me Better” has generated a full blown tour with stops in most major cities through the start of the new year, with dates already selling out. Damn. I guess a lot of other folks like this guy. “I Like Me Better” holds at #3.

It looks like Latchmere’s “Need Your Heart” (above) has its eye on the top spot as it zips into the Top 5 at #4. It’s from his diverse mainly house-oriented EP Lovedrunk. The Australia-based producer also has the highest debut on the chart as the Hallowe’en appropriate “Monster” (below) arrives at #22 featuring a fabulous vocal by a female Aussie singer named Dylan.

Continuing with double-duty carried over from the last chart, Carlos Nóbrega’s “You (It’s All About You)” (above) surges 10-7, while another song from The Art Of Making Love, “Free” (below), a duet more-or-less with Spanish vocalist JVEL, climbs 27-21.

The audio equivalent of a great big warm hug, “We Won’t Leave You” by Steve Void partnering with Syence, moves up 11-9.

While I’m glad it’s still available as a free download, “No Hands” by the incredible collaboration of producers it’s different and Forever MC with fantastic vocals by blackbear and MAX really deserves an official release on iTunes and Spotify. It bounds to #10 from #18. MAX is featured on one of the three debuts too!

Movin’ On Up

The fastest riser on the chart is flying high at #11. Moving up from #20 is “Flags” by L.A.’s Shoffy featuring singer Yuna, a beautiful pairing with a solid message perfect for our time. It’s from Shoffy’s excellent self-titled debut album.

A Remixes EP – featuring Tom & Collins, Parx, and Limits – is now out for Bobby Nourmand’s “MIND” featuring DOC & Goodmorning, which moves up a notch 13-12.

It looks like a hit, and sounds like a hit. Maybe there’s some 70’s AM radio influences buried deep inside of “Hit Rewind” but regardless Axel Mansoor and Louis Vivet take it 26-19 on the chart.

Two remaining debuts

Did you say MAX again? The recent release of “Survive” by yet another L.A. based producer, SAINT WKND also features such potent vocals by our MAX that it bows at #24 in its PLS&TY remix. I’m definitely excited to see MAX in concert again this coming Wednesday 😀

The remaining debut has been around for a few months but I can’t get its riveting bassline out of my head when played loud on my stereo. It’s “Murder” by Dutch producer/DJ Lady Bee featuring Tropkillaz and the fabulous vocal of Oktavian, who got to #2 on the chart last year featured in The Him’s “Balance”. “Murder” premieres at #26.

View the full BILLCS Top 30right here, and be sure to click on the photos to hear all of the songs.

Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify:BILLCS Top 30 Songs

Talk about packing an unassuming dance floor wallop! I’ve been writing about the songs of dance music scene relative newcomer Latchmere over the last year or so, and upon the release of his excellent debut 5 song EP Lovedrunk this week, I got to find out more about this Brit who relocated to Australia a few years back.

Latchmere is musician Shaun Galvin, whose influences are more contemporary such as Calvin Harris, Snakehips, Flume, and Kaytranada, yet some of the love songs in Lovedrunk bask in beats and rhythms that I would associate with old school Chicago deep house, such as in the brilliant, club-worthy opener “Need Your Heart” with a super uncredited female vocal. The vibe throughout the EP is definitely summery, with the mysterious melody and house rhythm of “Monster”, featuring the fine voice of a woman named Dylan, and brighter, tropical flavour in “Deep End” with vocals by Chariots. “Got Me” features another uncredited vocalist (this time male) with underlying soulful melody and hip hop rhythm surrounded by contemporary electronics. Latchmere uses acousting-sounding drums, percussion, and piano to enhance the synths at the root of the music. The last song on the EP is the title track, an instrumental, which seems somewhat out of place and without the infectiousness of the preceding songs.

Do go and lend your support to Latchmere’s Lovedrunk! “Need Your Heart” and “Monster” are definite house-bangers in-waiting, and you can hear the entire EP at the link above. Pick up Lovedrunk at your favourite digital music store.